Martin Luther King Day Celebration | City of Ashland

Published Monday, January 18, 2010 4:00 am

20th Annual Ashland Martin Luther King, Jr.Holiday Celebration

The 20th annual Ashland Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday celebration is scheduled for 12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m. Monday, January 18 at the Historic Ashland Armory in downtown Ashland. Produced by a group of community volunteers and sponsored by the Ashland School District, the
Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the City of Ashland, Jefferson Public Radio and Southern Oregon University, the event is free and open to the public. People are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item to donate to Rogue Valley food banks.

The theme for this 20th anniversary celebration year is commitment. This show is a community wide recommitment to the ideals of civil rights, inclusion and social justice through non-violence, compassion and courage.

This year, Bill Rauch, the new artistic director of Oregon Shakespeare Festival will provide the keynote speech. D.L Richardson, charismatic Southern Oregon University instructor will return as the Master of Ceremony. Keeping with the tradition of the community celebration,
students from the Ashland School District, SOU, OSF actors and diverse community groups will contribute songs, dances and dramatic performances. Poet Claudia Alick and local hip hop artists, One Movement, will perform. Multimedia excerpts from Dr. Kings’ speeches
and video archives will punctuate the program.

Dr. King’s volunteers signed a commitment card during the Birmingham Campaign, outlining the principles of the movement. In honor of his work, audience members will be given a commitment card and invited to carry his message into your every day life.

Come celebrate as a community! Seating is always limited and available on a first come basis. The doors will open at 11:30 a.m. Each year the event reaches standing room only by 12 noon. All ages are welcome and parents are urged to stay with their children during the event.